325 miles on minor roads and gravel. Oh boy, 2020. How much I was looking forward to my bikepacking trip in Iceland. Then corona happened and plans were revised. It did not bother me too much, because since I live in Wales I have been blessed with glorious landscapes in my back garden. My initial plan was to ride south from my home near Aberystwyth, towards the Brecon Beacons, and then to follow the Cambrian mountains north to do some riding…
A long Easter weekend combined with perfect weather: the perfect opportunity to go outdoors. When I go out cycling I always look for the perfect mix between doing the miles and enjoying nature. This normally means I find myself either cursing at cars or pushing my bike through the bog at least once per trip. But not this time, this was 150 km of pure fun! I was honestly very happy with how the route turned out. Nearly every bit…
Riding one bike; I really planned doing this. The Trek Multitrack I own can take big tyres as well as a drop bar and I was going to use it for my daily commute to work as well as the odd bike trip off road. But then a wild On One Inbred frame appeared on ebay, and I had to have it. The frame set was a bargain, never ridden and half the price of a new set. I found…
In the beginning of this year, I changed the flat and populated Netherlands for rugged and deserted Wales. And moving to Aberystwyth (West Wales) I noticed an absence of a bike rental. I could not figure out why. The region is popular with tourists and perfect for off-road and on-road cycling. So, filling the gap myself, I started a small bike rental company in Aberystwyth. And I am very happy to say; I am open for business! Please go to…
I did not post much on my website the past months. The reason is I just moved to Wales, and this took more attention than anticipated (I did foresee it would take more time than anticipated, though). I now live close to Aberystwyth and this is a gorgeous area for cycling and hiking! The first hike I did took me around Craig Y Pistyll and can be reached from Bont Goch. I planned this route like I always plan…
A new touring bike for your trip around the world has quite a price tag. You want something bombproof and the big (and small) bike brands make you believe only the best is good enough. What’s more, they probably try to trick you into choosing for the latest technologies. But these technologies become a problem when you are in a country that runs a bit late… bike-wise. In this post I will show your perfect touring bike will cost you…
The bike I used on my big trip east was quite Spartan. No fenders, friction shifters front and back, make-shift bottle holders and big 47-622 Schwalbe Marathon Mondial tyres. It worked a treat, but is a bit overkill on the roads here in the Netherlands. Hence, time for a make-over. New parts The Dura Ace barcon shifters lost indexing halfway my big trip and worked well in the friction mode. But I had some Shimano lx triggershifters collecting dust so…
It has been a month since I returned home, and daily-life has the best of me already. In this post I wish to reflect on my trip by drawing some conclusions on bike, gear, route, road conditions, weather, food, accommodation, safety, navigation, and telephone reception.
Check out my diary of the big trip east.
The route I planned in advance turned out to be overly ambitious. It was March when I started, so basically still winter. The days were a bit short and cold. Combined with the lack of training that caused for a rather painful double knee injury. The injury forced me to skip the hilly route through the south of Serbia and Bulgaria, I opted for the flat Danube river route instead.